Safety elevator-car.



J. H. HALL.

SAFETY ELEVATOR GAR.

APPLICATION FILED DB0. a, 1912.

Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

Waa/Z James H. Ha, y

U TTRN ys,

JAMES H. HALL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SAFETY ELEVATOR-CAR.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

Application filed December 3, 1912. Serial No. 734,655.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. HALL, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Elevator-Cars, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to elevators, and the object thereof is to provide the car of a device or apparatus of this class having the usual suspending and operating cable and the usual eounterbalance weight or weights with a safety or locking apparatus or mechanism, whereby, it the operating cable or the support of the counter-balance weight or weights should break, the car would be locked against downward movement, said apparatus also involvingmeans whereby the car, if caught between tloors or landings, can be lowered step by step by the operator thereof; and with this and other objects in view the invention consists in a safety attachment or apparatus for elevator cars constructed and operating as herein after described.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my invention are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure l is a sectional side view showingthe top portion of an elevator car provided with my improvement and two ot' the guide posts, and the construction at the top ol" said guide posts which also `involves a part ot my improvement ;-Fig. 2 a central vcrtical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 a sectional plan view on the line 3-*3 of Fig. 2, with part of the construction broken away; and ;-Fig. 4: a partial central vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, but showing the parts in a different position.

In Figs. l and 2 of the accompanying drawing ll have shown at a the top part ot' a vertically movable elevator car which, in practice, is mounted in an elevator' shaift provided with the usual corner guide posts only two of which are shown, and said guide posts are preferably L-shaped in cross section, and are connected at the top by a strong rigid frame b2 involving a top member or members b3, a bottom member or members b and side members b5. Mounted in the stationary top frame b2 is a supplemental :trame c involving' a top portion c2 and side portions c, and said supplemental frame is vertically movable to a slight extent in the main stationary frame b2 and is supported by spiral springs c, only one of which is shown, and placed between the bottom member Zi* of the main stationary frame and the top portion c2 of the supplemental frame. The supplemental trame c is provided at its opposite sides with suspended bolt engaging bars or members c5 which are oblong in cross section and pro vided at regular intervals with oblong slots or openings cb' between which are transverse members c7, and the bars c5 extend downwardly to within a short distance of the bottom of the elevator' well, and in the construction shown, these bars pass downwardly inside oi" the opposite sides a2 of the clevator car.

The top ot the elevator car is provided with a raised yoke Z having a central horizontal part (Z2 in which is formed a vertical chamber fl closed by top and bottom plates al and 5 which are securely bolted thereto, and movable Avertically through the chamber Z3 and the top and bottoni plates d" and (Z5 thereot are rods d and all, and the suspending and operating cable (ZS is connected with one of said rods and the weight suspending cord or cable (Z9 is connected with the other and provided with the usual counter-balance weight or weights d1". The rods d and (Z7 are provided at their lower ends with heads c which, in the construction shown, are rectangulaiin torni and the lower end portions ot, said rods within the chamber d are provided with collars or supports c2 between which and the top closure plate d4 of the chamber al are placed strong spiral springs c which normally serve to force said rods downwardly.

Mounted centrally on and vertically movable through the top a of the car is a gear block 7' supported in a yoke-shaped device j secured to the bottom oit the top ot the car and provided at its lower end with a pin j" movable through the head of the yoke-shaped device jg, and said block is provided on its opposite sides with gear teeth j which mesh with pinions and j mounted in the hangers j? secured to the top a3' of the car, and pinions 7c and 7a2 are supported above the top a3 of the car by suitable uprights or bearings 7c3 secured thereto.

The upper end of the gear block j is provided with a neck js and mounted between the pinions 7c and k2 is another gear block m the sides of which are provided with teeth which mesh with said pinions, and theY gear block m, in the form of construction shown, is provided with a downwardly directed neck m2 which corresponds with and is adapted to bear on the neck i8 of the gear block j, and placed between the gear blocks m and j is a strong spiral spring 7a4. The gear block m is provided centrally of the top thereof with a rod mwhich passes upwardly and is movable through the chamber d3 and the top and bottom plates-Z4 and Z5 thereof and also between the heads e of the rods el and o". and the heads e of said rods are preferably recessed where the rod m passes therebetween, as shown in Fig. 3.

Secured on the top a3 of the oar on the opposite sides of the center thereof are keepers n in which are placed lock bolts o movable transversely of the top of the car and the outer ends of which are adapted to operate in the slots or openings c6 in the bars c5, and the inner ends of which are provided with teeth 02 which mesh with the teeth of the pinions 7c and 7a2. Secured on the under side of the top a3 of the car are keepers p in .which are mounted radially movable bolts r the outer ends of which are also adapted to operate in the slots or openings c in the bars c5, and the inner ends of which are provided with teeth rz which mesh with the pinions js and js, and the shaft of the pinion j is provided with a i downwardly directed crank arm s adapted to be operated by the operator of the car, as hereinafter described.

rlhe car suspending and operating cable Z8 is passed over the pulley t mounted in the stationary frame b2 and may be connected with and operated by any suitable mechanisin as usual in apparatus of this class, and the weight suspending cord or cable t9 is passed over pulleys t2 mounted in the stationary frame Z22. Y

The springs es on the rods (Z6 and Z7 are each stronger than the spring 764, and the normal position of the parts d6, e and m when the elevator is in operation is that shown in Fig. 4, and in this position of said parts the bolts o are not projected, as shown in Fig. 2, and the main weight of the car is borne by the springs es. If, in the operation of the car, the suspending and operating cable 038 and the weight suspending cord or cable (Z9 should break, both of the rods nl and (Z7 would be forced downwardly into the position shown in Fig. 2, and the bolts 0 would be projected into the position shown in said ligure, and said bolts entering the slots or openings c6 in the bars c5 would locky -the car against downward movement, as will be readily understood and the j ar or jolt occasioned by thus stopping and locking the car would be broken or minimized by the downward movement of the supplemental frame c on the spring ct. lf, in this operalowing manner. When the arm lsis thrown Y `into the position shown in dotted lines, the' bolts r would be projected and the bolts 0 withdrawn, and the car would drop one step,

and then by swinging the arm s back into the position shown in full lines the bolts r would be withdrawn and the. bolts 0V projected and the car would drop another step, and this operation could be repeated until the car has reached the desired position.

' It will be understood that when the arm s is swung into the position shown in dotted lines the gear blocks j and m are both forced upwardly and thev pinions b7'5 and jG, and .la

and 702 are all operated, and when the arm s is moved back into the position shown in full lines the said gear blocks move downwardly and the said pinions 'move in the opposite direction. l

It will also be understood that,fif the operating cable ZS alone should break the rod Z7 and its head c would beV forced downwardly, as indicated in dotted lines in F ig'; e, and the result would be the same as though both the said cable and the weight .suspending cord ory cable Z9 wereV to break;

and if the said weight suspending ycord or cable alone should break,the rod 036 Vand its head e would be forced downwardly and the result would be the same as when the operating cable d8 is broken. In other words the car will be locked as above described, and as shown in Fig. 2, if both the suspending and operating cable and the weight suspending cord or cable should break at the same time,

and the said car will be locked as shown in Fig. 2 if 'either the operating cable or the weight suspending cord and cable are broken separately. n Y

My invention is not limited tothe details of the construction of the stationary top frame b2 or its attachment, nor to the details of the construction of the supplemental vertically movable frame c mountedin said main frame, and these frames may be constructed in any desired manner and the main stationaryV frame b2 may be supported inV any preferred way, and changes in andV modifications of these features of the construction, as well as other parte thereof, may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages; y

and it will alsobe seen that the bars c5 in connection with which the bolts o `and r opics erate, form in effect or operate as rack bars, and other forms of devices of this class may be employed.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. An elevator apparatus of the class de scribed involving a vertically movable car, an operating cable and a counterbalance weight and cable connected therewith, vertical bolt engaging bars at the opposite sides of the car, transversely movable lock bolts mounted on the top of the car and adapted to engage said bars so as to lock the car against downward movement, automatically operating devices for projecting said bolts into engagement with said bars on the breakage ot' either the operating cable or the counterbalance weight cable, and hand operated devices mounted in the top of the car and by means of which the loclc bolts may be operated to lower the car step by step.

Q. An elevator apparatus of the class described, involving a vertically movable car mounted between guides, a stationary frame at the top o'lE said guides, a vertically movable :trame mounted in the stationary frame and supported by springs and provided with suspended bolt engaging bars which extend downwardly at the sides of the elevator sha'lt, an operating cable connected with caid car, a counter-balance weight and cable also connected with said car, transversely movable lock bolts mounted on the 'top ol said car and adapted to operate in conneetion with said bars, automatically operating devices adapted to move said bolts outwarly on the breakage of either the operating cable or the counterbalance weight cable so as to lock said car against do\vn 'ard movement, and hand operated devices mounted in the top ot' the car and involving` the said automatically opperating devices, and by means oiE which the ear may be lowered ste-p by step.

3. In an, elevator apparatus of the class described, a vertically movable car, vertical bolt engaging bars supported at the opposite sides thcreo't', transversely movable bolts mounted on the top of the car and adapted Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents cach, by addressing the to operate in connection with said bars, devices Afor projecting said bolts on the breakage o'l the operating cable oit' the car so as to lock said car against downward movement, other transversely movable bolts mounted in the top of the car and also adapted to be operated in connection with said bars, and hand operated devices involving also the irst named devices ttor operating said bolts so as to lower the car step by step.

4t. In an elevator apparatus of the class described, a vertically movable car provided with a hoisting or operating cable and a eounterbalance cable and weight, vertically movable rack bars supported at the opposite sides of the car, transversely movable bolts mounted in connection with the top oi the car and adapted to operate in connection with said rack bars, devices 'or projecting said bolts on the breakage ot' the counterbalance weight cable to lock said car against downward movement, other transversely movable bolts mounted in the top of the car and also adapted to ope ate in connection with said bars, and hand operated devices involving also the first named devices for operating said bolts so as to lower the car step by step.

5. In an elevator apparatus of the class described, a vertically movable car, bolt engaging bars supported at the opposite sides thereof, transversely movable lock bolts mounted in connection with the top o' the car and adapted to operate in connection with said bars, devices for projecting said lock bolts on the breakage of the operating cable olf the car so as to lock said ear against downward movement, and hand operated devices mounted within the car and also involving the first named devices vlor operating said bolts so as to lower the car step by step.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of the subscribing witnesses this 2nd day of December 1912.

JAMES I-I. HALL.

Witnesses:

C. MULuuaNY, S. ANDREWS.

Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

